Criminal Enforcement Actions Against Postal Union Officers 2012

On April 9, 2012, in the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut, Michael Martin, former President of American Postal Workers Union (APWU) Local 3093 (located in Norwalk, Conn.), was sentenced to five years of probation, the first six months of which Martin must spend in home confinement with electronic monitoring. Martin was also ordered to perform 200 hours of community service and was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $20,201. Martin previously pled guilty to one count of Theft by Mail by an Employee of the United States Postal Service (USPS). The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS Boston District Office. Reposted here by PEN.

On March 21, 2012, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, Edward Kozusko, former Treasurer of American Postal Workers Union (APWU) Local 443 (located in Youngstown, Ohio), pled guilty to one count of embezzlement in the amount of $12,613.20. The plea follows an investigation by the OLMS Cleveland District Office. Reposted here by PEN.

On March 15, 2012, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Wanda Jackson, former Treasurer of National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Branch 4065 (located in Plano, Tex.), was found guilty by a jury of embezzling union funds in the amount of $41,246.95. On July 13, 2011, Jackson was indicted on one count of embezzlement of union funds, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c). The verdict follows an investigation by the OLMS Dallas District Office. Reposted here by PEN.

On March 13, 2012, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, an information was filed charging Edward Kozusko, former Treasurer of the American Postal Workers Union (APWU) Local 443 (located in Youngstown, Ohio), with one count of embezzlement in the amount of $12,613.20. The charge follows an investigation by the OLMS Cleveland District Office. Reposted here by PEN.

On March 13, 2012, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, Frank Rysz, former Secretary-Treasurer of National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Branch 1124 (located in New Stanton, Pa.), was charged in a one-count indictment for embezzling $12,514.91 in union funds. The charge follows an investigation by the OLMS Pittsburgh District Office. Reposted here by PEN.

On March 8, 2012, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia, Pamela S. Hinzman, former Treasurer of American Postal Workers Union (APWU) Local 1580 (located in Parkersburg, W.Va.), pled guilty to embezzlement of union funds in the amount of $26,260.68. The plea follows an investigation by the OLMS Pittsburgh District Office. Reposted here by PEN.

On March 6, 2012, in the Kandiyohi County, Minnesota District Court, Cherity Perez, former Secretary-Treasurer of American Postal Workers Union (APWU) Local 631 (located in Willmar, Minn.), was sentenced to 15 days of confinement, two years of probation, and ordered to write a letter of apology to Local 631. Perez was also ordered to pay additional restitution of $95.80, a $500 fine, and $90 in court fees. She previously made restitution of $1,144. On February 6, 2012, Perez pled guilty to theft, in violation of Minnesota State Statute 609.52.2(1). The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS Minneapolis Resident Investigator Office. Reposted here by PEN.

On February 21, 2012, in the Green Lake County Wisconsin Circuit Court, Nancy Kumbier, former President and Treasurer of National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Branch 1144 (located in Berlin, Wis.), was sentenced to 12 months of probation and was ordered to pay $3,505 in restitution. On the same date, Kumbier entered an Alford plea for one count of theft in a business setting of between $2,500 and $5,000. The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS Milwaukee District Office. Reposted here by PEN.

On February 21, 2012, in the New York State Court for New York County, Neil Cardoso, former President of American Postal Workers Union (APWU) Local 1241 (located in Long Island City, N.Y.), was indicted with a charge of Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, P.L. 155.40 (1) for allegedly using an ATM card to make unauthorized withdrawals of approximately $75,000 in cash from the union’s account. Cardoso was arrested on February 28, 2012 by investigators from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and arraigned on March 2, 2012. The indictment follows an investigation by the OLMS New York District Office. Reposted here by PEN.

On February 17, 2012, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas, Steven Boyles, former Secretary-Treasurer of American Postal Workers Union (APWU) Local 189 (located in Little Rock, Ark.), was sentenced to one year of probation, 100 hours of community service, and was ordered to pay a $100 assessment and a $2,500 fine. On September 7, 2011, Boyles pled guilty to wire fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1343, a Class C Felony. The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS Dallas District Office and the United States Postal Service’s Office of Inspector General. Reposted here by PEN.

On February 7, 2012, in the Navajo County Superior Court, Christina Carr, former Secretary-Treasurer of American Postal Worker Union (APWU) Local 7008 (located in Show Low, Ariz.), was indicted on one count of theft or embezzlement of an amount greater than $4,000, a Class 3 Felony, in violation of ARS §§ 13-1802(A)(2), 13-1801, 13-701, 13-702, and 13-801. The indictment follows an investigation by the OLMS Los Angeles District Office and Phoenix Resident Investigator Office. Reposted here by PEN.

PLEASE NOTE

• An indictment is a formal accusation or charge based on a finding by a Grand Jury that it is likely that the person charged committed the criminal offense described in the indictment and is the means by which an accused person (defendant) is brought to trial. An indictment raises no inference of guilt. As in all criminal cases, each defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
• An information is a formal accusation of a crime by a government attorney rather than a Grand Jury. An information raises no inference of guilt. As in all criminal cases, each defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
• A charge is an accusation of criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. As in all criminal cases, each defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
• Each count is a separate and distinct offense charged in an indictment or information.
• A guilty plea is a defendant’s admission to the court that he or she committed the offense charged and an agreement to waive the right to a trial.
• A conviction is a judgment based on a jury’s verdict, judge’s finding, or the defendant’s admission that the defendant is guilty of the crime charged.
• A sentence is a judicial determination of the punishment to be imposed on an individual who has plead guilty or has been convicted by a jury or judge of a criminal offense.